Doctoral Project
A Question of Method: Anthony Blunt and the Formation of Architectural History in Britain
Doctoral Project
Matthew Critchley
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Maarten Delbeke
Anthony Frederick Blunt (1907–1983), is fixed in the British imagination as the Soviet double agent who passed British state secrets to Stalin. However, while an extraordinary amount has been written about Blunt’s involvement in espionage, very little has been written on his scholarship in architecture. Turning to Blunt’s writings we find that his method changed often, sometimes dramatically. This study of his works and those of the scholars that surrounded him therefore allows us to probe into questions regarding methods in architectural history, rediscovering their historical contingency and tracing their genealogies.
Matthew Critchley
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Maarten Delbeke
Anthony Frederick Blunt (1907–1983), is fixed in the British imagination as the Soviet double agent who passed British state secrets to Stalin. However, while an extraordinary amount has been written about Blunt’s involvement in espionage, very little has been written on his scholarship in architecture. Turning to Blunt’s writings we find that his method changed often, sometimes dramatically. This study of his works and those of the scholars that surrounded him therefore allows us to probe into questions regarding methods in architectural history, rediscovering their historical contingency and tracing their genealogies.
